- Title: Spanish FM announces donation to help Colombia with Venezuelan migrant crisis
- Date: 20th October 2019
- Summary: GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA (FILE - MAY 2019) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS REFUGEE AGENCY TENTS AT CAMP FOR VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS VARIOUS OF CLOTHES HANGING TO DRY OUTSIDE TENT TENTS VARIOUS OF CHILD BATHING IN A BUCKET
- Embargoed: 3rd November 2019 03:39
- Keywords: immigration Spain exodus crisis emigration Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Borrell Venezuela border Colombia migrants
- Location: CUCUTA & GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA
- City: CUCUTA & GUAJIRA, COLOMBIA
- Country: Colombia
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA004B1WHPON
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: AUDIO AS INCOMING IN SOUNDBITES
Spanish foreign minister Josep Borrell announced Saturday (October 19) during a visit to the Colombian border city of Cucuta that his government will donate 50 million euros ($55,824,950 USD) to help the country deal with an influx of Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic and political strife at home.
More than 4 million Venezuelans have fled in recent years amid widespread shortages of food and medicine in their homeland. Colombia has borne the burnt of the exodus - it is now home to more than 1.4 million Venezuelans, many of whom arrived with little money and in need of services like healthcare.
Colombia has repeatedly lamented a lack of funding for Venezuelans, saying other humanitarian crises in Syria, South Sudan and Myanmar have received many times more in donations from the international community.
Unlike its neighbours, Colombia has not imposed stringent immigration requirements on Venezuelans, instead encouraging migrants who entered the country informally to register with authorities so they can access social services.
Borrell traveled to Colombia after a stop in Havana, Cuba where he confirmed Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia would visit the island in November for the commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana.
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